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Did I ever tell you guys that I found Shadow of Mordor really boring? I just couldn’t get into the Nemesis system. I see why it’s neat. I see why other people would like it. I just don’t.

I suppose Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment might realize there are people like me out there, because they recently announced their new microtransaction system called the “Market.”

Through the Market, players can purchase Loot Chests, War Chests, XP Boosts and Bundles (accessed only with an internet connection).

Loot Chests contain Gear (weapons and armor) of varying rarity. Equipping and upgrading these weapons and armor enhance Talion’s character abilities. Loot Chests can also contain XP Boosts that help level up Talion faster.

War Chests provide Orc Followers of varying rarity to help forge a strong army. They can also contain Training Orders to level up and customize Orc Followers.

XP Boosts are consumables that help level up Talion faster.

Bundles package up Loot Chests, War Chests and Boosts together at a great value.

So instead of spending the time defeating orcs, destroying gear, destroying orc followers, and finding Mirian stashes, players can basically just buy their way to the win.

WBIE is also using “Gold” as another form of in-game currency that can be used to buy the chests and exp boosts. You can check out the official announcement where they go into more detail about how to get gold.

WBIE claims, “No content in the game is gated by Gold. All content can be acquired naturally through normal gameplay.” […] “Gold does not give you any advantage over other players. A player who invests enough time can progress the same amount and have access to the same content as a player who purchases Gold. Gold is not required to progress or advance in the game at all.”

Thankfully “Online Vendettas,” where you go and fight other people’s fortresses, don’t kill off your followers if you lose. That would crank the pay-to-win to another level.

“But Keen, you just said you didn’t even like Shadow of Mordor anyway so why do you care?”

For this particular game, I guess it won’t impact me. I have no plans to pick up Shadow of War because I didn’t like its predecessor. But yet again I find myself referencing recent burns such as Fortnite and thinking how badly those F2P gimmicks annoyed me. I think it’s bad form for them to be in any game, really.

Thoughts? I know there are some of you who regularly comment who say any F2P game is an immediate skip. Would this qualify, despite having a price tag? If not, I would be really interested in hearing why.